Automobile curtain construction



Aug. 4, 1925. 1,548,203 v l W. C. LOUD l AUTOMOBILE CURTAIN CONSTRUCTI ON Fiied De. l. 1924 2 sheets-shet 2 14 Y mi I I 1 ,g 5 19 zo i 15' anw/nto@ Aum-Ian STAT Patented Aug. leas.

WILLIAI/rc. LOIUIJ," OFLDETROIT,VMICHIGANJSSIGNOR To G I'iAssM-OBIIQE ooMrANY, or

D=ETaoIT,-MIoHIeAN; A ooaPoaA'rIoN` yor MICHIGAN; f ,a

is. a specification, reference being had therev` in to the accompanyingdrawings;

- i This invention relates to sidecurtain' construction such as ofthe type referred Vto in my -copending application, Serial No.y 753,- 128' filed December 1, 1924, wherein 'a `glass windowis supported Lina side-curtainwith'- in a. moreorless rigid reillforcing. f ramebyV the fabric vor material ofthe curtainslenter'- ingsaid reinforcing frame and fbeing se'-` cured around the 'edgesoffthe glass' 1n :noliv manner th-atwthe supporting of the glass is effected within the l `said reinforcingy frame 1 by the fabric or material of the curtains; andhas for its.obje ctlth'e devising vof an efficient and facile method vof constructing Vand assemblinga curtainlin order toeifectv thjelmounting of the. glass window -in a curtain'V 1n the required manner.

vjffi-irther 'object isfto rprovide foil the buildingfup of a curtain by the stitching,

,cutting and yfoldingof .aifpairfof sheets of fabric, leather or similarQ material .whereby V`they will be specially adapted `for the reception andfsiipport of faglass window-.and for the application theretov of a reinforcing frame locking the fabric land glass in their respectivefrelative arrangement a` still further ofbjectbeing'to provide for'vthe af fpli cation' toand .between the two' layers of fab- .n

ric afterV the fitting thereto of a glassiwi'n- AV dow of a hingedlyarticulated channel f Vframe vwhich may be wrappedl around the glass 'pen'- gagingfpoitions of the fabric and secured in reinforcing relation thereto.

Stillffurther objects' subsidiary to or. resultingk from the aforesaid objects, or 'from the' construction or operationojf the .rinvenition as .it maybe carried into effect, will become apparent 'as thiefsaid invention is hereinafter further disclosed; f In carryi `g the saidY 'nventioir intoy eect, '1 may stitch, out or 'fold' la pair of," sheets of/ materiall 'A and mount a'y glass and frames therein in the manner more `particularlyy',d-

o ffexample, ll'faarle4 reference tothe' @0934-,

,Y `Figu`-re lisa' perspectiveviewof a pairy of sheets ojf material after tlieinitial'sewing and cutting operations have been performed thereon,VV part of thesamejbeing cutaway to' more clearly indicate the relationship' of the saidusheets; I p Figure 2 is a' transverse section' of Lthe same; i Y

t uFigureB isalsimilarview to ll`i5ifiireqA l,' illustrating the relationshipY of the' sheets after'tli'efolding operation;

`vB"iggnre 4 isna transverse section of the same after-* 'suchL folding'no'perationgj."

Figure is' an. elevation, of a Vcomplete 'curta'ing l i Figure 6 isr a'l transverse section taken away and drawn` vto allai-ger scale;

Figure 7 is a lfragme'ntary detail broken view, illustrating liny perspective the method ofn applying the reinforcing channel v'frame tol dthe` fabric enclosed `jedges of the glass; an,

fviewlillustrating ithe corner arijangementil of lthe'reinforcing'channel frame, enclosed fab- Similar `characters ofnre s similarfparts V1n the several". figures of the .'drawilgl.

v 4thbd about to be described isin`- tendedfhto produce ajfcurt'ain` more particulfarlyfapplicable to automobiles wherein a glass windollwwill bev suooorted bv Vthe* fabr'icyofthecurtain withinv a channel Ivreinforcingl frame locatedv around thefmargins of the said Vglassv window' but vprotectively isolated therefromby the Vm'aie'r'ialyof the curtain;l and'tol produce suchl afcurtain, ylf

ric are angularly cutor notched; outwardly from fthe crne'rs`-; of the saidopening as at 5; the Astructure 'thea being th-g 9m-une tread in' Eguresf-landgg Figuresis@fragmentary seetionaljdetal A arene@ indicas Y lli?" The said fabric is now folded or reversed by passing one of the sheets thereof through the opening which brings the faces of the two sheets which wereJ previously opposed to one another to the outside of the curtain, and causes the stitched marginal portions of the curtain contiguous to the opening to be folded within the two sheets of material as indicated in Figure 3, thereby forming a groove or recess 6 around the opening in the curtain, which recess is adapted to receive the peripheral edges of a glass window 7, the material forming the walls 8 and 9 of the groove 6 giving way suliiciently to properly admit such edges of the glass whereby they are substantially enclosed by such material, with the stitched portion 10 extending therearound.

Following the insertion of the glass window in the manner described and to secure it against undesired removal from the groove 6, I next reinforce the material enclosing the marginal portions of the glass by applying thereto an articulated channel fra-me, the internal dimensions at the base of the channel members of which are substantially greater than the external dimensions of the said glass, the said frame comprising members 12, 13, 14 and 15 hingedly joined together and adapted to extend along the respective edges ofthe said glass to embrace the fabric or similar walls S and 9 of the groove 6 and to accoral modate the stitched edges 10 of the said fabric or material in the manner very clearly illustrated in Figure 6, the said stitched edges being located in the space 18 provided in the bed of the channel frame by reason of its superior dimensions over those of the glass. 'The hinged articulated nature of the said channel frame permits of it being` virtually wrapped around the glass enclosing portions of the fabric or material, the method being quite clearly illustrated in the fragmentary view, Figure 7, which indicates the last applied side or section 15 of the frame about to be closed upon the fabric associated therewith, so that the perforated end 19 thereof will bei entered between the correspondingly perforated and bifurcated end 2O of its adjacent section 14 after which it may be secured by a rivet 21 as shown in Figure 8. v

The glass on all corners is preferably cut away to give freedom for the means attaching the sections of the frame together and the notching of the fabric, or material as at 5, similarly provides for clearance at the corners of the frame when the fabric is reversed` as will be apparent from an examination of the drawings.

The outer edges 26 of the fabric are, in the present example, extended or stretched over a frame 22 and secured by stitching 23 and 24, the fabric being further stitchedV together at 25 around the channel frame, the nature of the outer frame o-r even the existence thereof being governed by the type of curtain to which the glass window is applied, as it is quite obvious that the channel frame may itself form the outer frame of the curtain, the important features so far as the securing of the fabric or material exterior to the said channel frame being to provide for resistance to the entry of the fabric or material into the channel frame to an undesirable extent which would permit looseness of the glass within the frame or undue resting of the glass in the bed of the frame instead of the supporting of the said glass by the fabric or material in the manner hereinbefore explained.

It will be quite apparent that the stitching 25 or the securing of the fabric to the outer frames 22 or both of these factors will limit the extent to which the inner marginal portions of the said fabric may enter the channel frame, and where tension in the fabric is provided the tendency of the inner Inarginal portions thereof to be withdrawn from the channel frame will result in and effect the centraliz'ing of the glass window within. the said channel frame and thus assist in bringing` about the suspension of the said glass window; butit should be understood that this tension is not absolut-ely necessary, particularly in small curtains having small windows, in which case only such tension may be provided as may be deemed necessary for the prevention of wrinlrling of the fabric or undue flaccidity of the curtain.

The described manner of constructing a curtain and supporting a glass window therein lends itself readily to the commercial production of automobile or similar enclosures, admitting` of speedy manufacture and assembling with efficiency in the supporting of thol glass windowwhen so assembled, and by the supporting of a window in the manner described, a protection is afforded for the same much greater than that which usually obtains in window supports, whereby the application of Glass windows to meet conditions ordinarily unfavorable to the use of a fragile material such as glass is rendered feasible where otherwise it has not been ordinarily considered safe from breakage.

Herein the window is described as being supported within the reinforcing frame by the fabric and in further explanation of such expression it is pointed out that this is intended to have no limiting relevance to the disposition or support of the channel frame in the curtain as it will be understood that the channel frame may be considered as supporting the window through the medium of the inwardly folded fabric or material, but on the other hand, where the said channel frame is substantially free of any other frame such as the frame 22 as in the illus- Y groove so formed, andbinding the inwardly Y trated example., both the channel lfram-e j and the window mightr'easonab'ly be considered This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claims without ,departing from the essential features of the Y said invention, rand `it is desired that the specification and drawings vbe read as merely illustrative and' notvin a limiting sense, ex-

cept as necessitated by theV prior art. `What I claim is V l. The method of mounting a glass windowV which consists in sewing apa'irv offsuperimposed sheets of flexible material closely around a window opening therein, slitting the material at the corners of said opening, reversing the material whereby the sewn parts are folded inwardlyv therebetween forming Va glass receiving groove, inserting the margins 'of a glass windowinto the folded material into engagement with the said margins. V 2. The method of mounting aglass window, whichV consists in sewing a pair of superimposed sheets of'flexible material closely around a window opening therein, slitting vthe material at the [corners of said opening, reversing the'V Vmaterial whereby the sewn parts are foldedV inwardly therebetween Y forming a glass receiving groove, inserting the niarginsof a glass wining into the groove so formed whereby the inward folding of the material is,increased,

` reinforcing the folded material to bindfit into engagement with said window, and sewing said sheets of material'together aboutv said reinforcement.

3. The method ofmounting a glass window which consists in sewing 'a pairr ofsue perimposed sheets of exible material closelyA around a window opening therein, slitting the material at the corners of said opening, reversing the y material whereby the Vsewn parts are folded inwardly therebetween forming a glass receiving groove, inserting the margins `of a glass windowV into theV groove so formed, whereby it is held, embracing the inwardly folded material with a channel frame, and securing said sheets together about said channel frame.

4. The method of mounting a dow which consists in sewing a pair of superimposed. sheets ofY flexible material,

closely around a window opening therein, slitting the material at the corners of said glass winopening, reversing'the material whereby the sewnparts are folded inwardlyV therebetween forming aglass receiving groove, inserting the margins ofa glass window of required sizeinto Vthe groove so formed,Y

folding/a hingedarticulated channel frame by the ends of said frame arejbrought tolgetherv andthe channel embraceslsaid folded material, and securing the endsv of saidy l frame .togetherg/ 5. The methodio'f mounting a window acsewn Atogether around said frame after the securing of the ends of said frame.

v6. The method ofmounting a glass win-` dow which consists in the utilizing of a pair of superimposed sheets 'of flexible material` ception of the margins of a window, the slits .expanding into openings at the corners of saidflexible channel, inserting a glass window into the saidfolded portions with the i' corner portionsY thereof extending into said openings, and binding the `said folded vportions ofthe material into engagement therewith by means of an articulated channel frame whereby the said folded portions are embraced, andthe hinged joints of said:

articulated frame vbrought into juxtaposition dow of larger" size than the resulting-openwith the OpengSA'PrOV-ded by he slitting of said material. j f

superimposed sheetsY of material sewn together about a window opening therein and slit at the corners of said opening, whereby Van inwardly folded flexible channelis provided about said opening, inserting the mar- Ye5 varound the inwardly foldedmaterial wherev`cording to claim 4, Whereinthe sheets are f I e Y l Y f7. The method of mountingk a' glass winwidow which consists in reversinga pair of gins of a glass window intoV said ,iexible channel, stiffening said flexible channel by the applicationthereto of anfeiiibracing reinforcing channel frame located betweenthe said sheets of material in such mannerthat they perimeter of said glass window is substantially spaced from lthe bed of said channel frame, and securing said material against further entrance into said channel frame.

In testinionywhereof I affix niyisignature `in presence of two witnesses. A

, wiLLiiiM oQLoUD.

g V"Witnesses: Y

vGalt; MOGRANN,

S. Lienrroor.

iio 

